MCB’s Impact

The Muslim Council of Britain is the UK’s largest and most diverse national representative Muslim body, with over 500 member organisations including mosques, charities, schools, and professional networks. We are here to Unite - Empower - Serve. We work for the common good by encouraging active Muslim participation in public life, and by promoting unity, equity and shared prosperity across society. Guided by our Vision 2050, the MCB’s mission is to Unite our communities around shared purpose, Empower individuals and organisations to lead and serve, and Serve both British Muslims and wider society through our projects, advocacy and engagement.  

The barakah of greater unity - You gain and the community gains:

1. Capacity Building & Networking - Discounts and priority access to training courses, conferences and networking opportunities nationwide.
2. A Stronger Voice - As Islamophobia and far-right divisive forces continues to grow, having a strong, collective voice is essential in campaigning against this and advocating for a just and fairer Britain for all.
3. From Good to Great - Through campaigns, roundtables and conferences, we can quickly share the excellent work from our mosques and organisation for all to learn from.
4. Democratic Leadership - Full Community Members have voting rights in two-yearly MCB leadership elections

Our Lord instructs us to pray, so we establish masjids. He instructs us to spread knowledge, so we establish schools. He instructs us help the poor, so we establish charities.

He instructs us to be united and “not be divided” (Quran, 3:103) - how can we fulfil this duty?

At national level in the UK, the MCB is the platform for British Muslim community organisations to unite and work together.

Following the crises in the Balkans and the first Gulf War in the 1990s, there was a growing sense of apprehension amongst Muslims in Britain that Muslim communities lacked unity and coordination. In April 1994, approximately fifty community bodies and networks convened in Birmingham to form the NICMU – the National Interim Committee for Muslim Unity. This body was mandated to conduct a consultation exercise within the community to establish the need for an umbrella body and seek views on its priorities and structure. NICMU met at regular intervals and in various UK cities, including Markfield, Birmingham and Leicester. A working group was established to carryout a process of countrywide consultations, and a postal questionnaire was prepared and circulated to Muslim organisations, Mosques, Islamic centres and institutions. Translations were also done in community languages such as Urdu and Bengali to ensure a comprehensive reach. The findings of the consultations were presented to NICMU in July, 1995 and indicated that the majority of British Muslims were very concerned with the lack of unity, coordination and representation and supported the establishment of an umbrella body. NICMU then formed a sub-group to prepare a draft Constitution, which reported back its recommendations. The final meeting of NICMU took place on 25th May 1996 in Bradford, at which time the name “The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB)” was chosen for the new organisation. The inauguration of the Muslim Council of Britain was held at Brent Town Hall in London on 23rd November 1997.

The Muslim Council of Britain is an independent body that conducts its affairs with openness and transparency and in accordance with a written constitution. Further information about our Governance Structure can be found here

Enshrined in the MCB’s constitution is recognition of the diversity of Islam and Muslims and the desire to come together on matters of common concern. It is a cross-sectarian body working for the common good without assuming any judgmental attitude toward the variety of expressions of Islamic belief and conduct except that which falls outside Islam. It is a broad-based, representative organisation of Muslims in Britain, accommodating and reflecting the variety of social and cultural backgrounds and outlooks of Muslim communities. Practically it does this through lively discussion at all decision making levels and through an obligation placed on the leadership to reflect the diversity of British Muslim communities and foster an atmosphere of dialogue and collaboration.